Manhunt stalls westbound U.S. 90

Thursday

Dec 27, 2012 at 8:30 PM

An unidentified man in an accident on U.S. 90 faces multiple charges after taking a motorist's keys at gunpoint Thursday and trying to escape into a nearby wooded area, Lafourche Sheriff's Office said.

Xerxes Wilson Staff Writer

A man in an accident on U.S. 90 faces multiple charges after taking a motorist's keys at gunpoint Thursday and trying to escape into a nearby wooded area, Lafourche Sheriff's Office said.The incident shut down westbound U.S. 90 for more than an hour as police searched for the man.Joseph Eatmon, 33, of Jasper, Ala., was involved in a car accident about 9 a.m. on U.S. 90 near Raceland, deputies said. Following the accident, Eatmon held a passing driver at gunpoint and demanded the driver's car keys, deputies said. Then, Eatmon took the keys and ran into the woods.Police are unsure why the man took the other driver's keys then fled on foot, Sheriff's Office spokesman Brennan Matherne said.Eventually, a police dog assisted in the man's capture, and the roadway was reopened at 10:30 a.m. Re Howse of Mathews said she waited 15 cars from the accident for more than an hour as law enforcement streamed by and a helicopter circled overhead. “Nobody knew what was going on,” Howse said. “Somebody had said that they thought a gunman was up there. I thought there was no way this was a simple accident.”Eatmon is charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault and resisting an officer, Matherne said. He is in the Lafourche Parish jail in lieu of bonds totaling $106,000.He is also being charged with reckless driving, hit-and-run and no driver's license, according to State Police Troop C. The accident caused no serious injuries.

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